Does breast feeding after fat grafting to breast destroy the fat cells that have been placed there?

Question

Just wondering weather breastfeeding ruins the results and if it is than wise to wait after having had kids.. however long that is...

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

Breasts do tend to change with pregnancy and breastfeeding, so you may want to wait until after both are completed.Kenneth Hughes, MD, Board Certified Plastic SurgeonLos Angeles, CA

Jaime S. Schwartz, MD, FACS · Answer

Very valid question.
Clients that come to me looking for a natural enhancement without an implant, I usually recommend a fat transfer. But a fat transfer is not a perfect replacement for implants. However, it can also be combined with an implant or used as a secondary procedure to fill in areas that are flat or thin. Fat transfer should not affect nipple sensation, mammograms, cancer risk or breast feeding. The great thing about a fat transfer to the breasts is that once it is injected, it becomes part of your body, meaning if you gain or lose weight, the transferred fat can do the same.Fat is living tissue, so it will graft onto existing cells in your body. Most clients retain 50-70% of the fat from their fat transfer procedure. If a greater enhancement is wanted, subsequent fat transfer procedures can be performed until the desired result is achieved. Results are usually permanent. Because fat transfer uses liposuction to transfer the fat, no incisions will be made. There will be no scarring. To increase safety, I use a unique closed-loop system for my signature fat transfer, where the fatty tissue never leaves the sterilized environment. The fat is purified in a sterilized cannister and injected directly into the treatment area using the same equipment, resulting in a faster more sterile fat transfer process.
The best way to assess and give true advice would be an in-person exam.  Please see a board-certified plastic surgeon that specializes in aesthetic breast plastic surgery.
 
  
Best of luck!
  
   
  
Dr. Schwartz
  
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
  
#RealSelf100Surgeon
  
#RealSelfCORESurgeon

David J. Levens, MD · Answer

Fat grafting to the breasts for cosmetic enhancement or in reconstruction is a procedure that has become more and more popular over the last 5-10 years as the efficacy and safety of the procedure has been proven in clinical studies. Although some claim complete survival of all the fat cells, it is widely predicted that a certain percentage of the cells will not "take". There are many reasons for this and the techniques to optimize survival are constantly evolving. Pregnancy and lactation results in swelling of the milk ducts in the breast glandular tissue, not the fatty tissue, therefore it is not likely that fat cells would be "destroyed" as long as sufficient time had elapsed after the fat grafting procedure to allow the fat cells that will survive to develop new blood supply to keep them alive.

John L. Burns Jr., MD · Answer

Breast feeding should not destroy the transferred fat cells.  You may notice a normal increase in breast size with breast feeding which would happen regardless of the fat transfer.  Most women will have involutional changes in the breast after breast feeding.

David A. Sieber, MD, FACS · Answer

Although breast feeding can make dramatic changes to the appearance of the breasts, those changes should not occur to the same degree in the fat which was transferred. Because the fat which is placed in to the breasts is not actually breast tissue or breast fat, it should still maintain most of its volume so long as your weight remains relatively stable throughout and after pregnancy. Best,~Dr. Sieber

Connie Hiers, MD, FACS · Answer

Pregnancy and breast feeding can have a significant change on your breasts with or without any fat grafting. You might consider having all the children you want, then consider what elective procedure your breasts need.

Karthik Ram, MRCS, DNB · Answer

Hello, Thanks for sharing your query. Breast fat fill will not impact breast feeding as the fat is deposited in different locations. Fat implanted varies with your body fat levels. The pregnancy and breastfeeding affect the gland tissue and can cause enlargement and later involution. So its very difficult to predict the breast size and shape after breast feeding as the fat and gland behave differently. Consult a board certified plastic surgeon.

Does breast feeding after fat grafting to breast destroy the fat cells that have been placed there?

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